The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-09-14

In no wise daunted by the fact that the
horse kicked at her the moment he saw
the skirt, adroitly evading the kick, Les
signed TO the groom to put his hand
over Quasimodo's near eve, stole quietly
up to the horses shoulder, and barely
touching the hand Marion Devereux of
fered, sprang lightly into the saddle.
Drawing the reins gently through her
fingers, she ordered the groom to back
the horse out into the street without
letting go his head. On the way to the
Park Quasimodo behaved well enough,
but the moment he felt the dirt road be-
meath his feet he lashed with violence
that made me turn faint, made couple of
awful back jumps, and went up the
West Drive in succession of mad
plunges, snatching angrily at the bride
and taking every bit of rein. / saw
Leslie's light figure braced well back,
yielding Just enough at each plunge to
ease the jar of landing, heard her clear
voice ring out: "Steady, boy steady,
sir I" and Marion Devereux's "Well done
we'll riddenm when Walter, laying hand
gently on my rein, checked Pet Majsrie's
forward start.
"Your cousin is all right" he said.
''Do not follow her too closely; it would
only upset Pet Majorie and spoil Miss
Leslie's pleasure by anxiety for you"
In fact, some twenty minutes later,
when we came up with the other two,
Quasimodo and Vindex were calmly
walking side by side, rubbing noses, and
doubtless discussing the quantity of oats
and quality of hay as earnestly as their
riders were arguing the often-mooted
question as to whether Omar Khayyam
were Omar Khayyam, or If Omar Khayyam
were not Omar Khayyam, then who Omar
Khayyam could be.
No further pranks on the part of the
quadrupeds marred our long and delight
| full ride, until, as we were returning,
some one proposed that we should take
| the hurdle four abreast. This was most
successfully accomplished, and after
| Jumping we halted under the bridge just
| below to let Marion Devereux dismount
and take stone out of his horses foot.
He was bending down, thus engaged,
when Walter cried out: Take care,
Miss Efigham!" But in q second, be-
fore Leslie could gather up her reins OF
use her whipA Quasimodo calmly lay
down on his left side, thereby allowing
Les time to twist herself from under be-
fore he rolled over and over in the wettest
place he could find, smashing the saddle
to bits, and covering himself with mud
from head to foot.
Stately Les was spectacle as she rose
from her undignified roll. Her shining
yellow hair was plastered with black
mud; hat, habit, and boots were one
mass of sticky wet clay, but her good
humor was unruffled, and she joined
heartily in the shouts of laughter which
greeted her as she rose.
Needless to say, Walter and Marion
both sprang at once to her assistance, but
beyond wringing out her hair and wiping
off the worst of the soft mud, little could
be done. Such incidents as this never
troubled Leslie; but when the saddle was
fonnd to be hopeless wreck, the question
was how to get home. Leslie refused
point blank to go up the foot path and get
on an Eighth avenue car, saying he
would walk to the entrance of the park
and let the groom ride on and lead
Ouasimodo back to his stable. Marion
Devereux at once proposed TO put Leslie
on Vindex (she could ride quite well side
ways on mans saddle) and walk by her.
TO my surprise Leslie did not reject
this plan, nor when Walter suggested that
he and l should ride forward and send a
carriage and wraps to meet her at the
gate did Les raise any objection.
As it turned out, that carriage must
have waited a long time. Perhaps Leslie
and Marion took the "long path" that
our Autocrat tells Of-the path that it
takes a lifetime to follow to the end.
Certain it is that hours passed before
Leslie reached home, and it was not long
before the columns of the Gotham Chit
Chat published as a social happening the
engagement of Miss Leslie EffiDgham to
Mr. Marion DevereuX.
When, where and how Walter and l ar
rived at life understanding must ever
remain between ourselves. Suffice it to
say that this conclusion was not reached
until Walter had acknowledged that the
asking me to exercise Pet Marjorie was a
: mere device, that ever since Glass Day
he had wished to meet me again, and that
} he had only deferred speaking so long
from the fear of losing the happiness of
seeing me every day.
Leslie's ring was sapphire set in a
gold four leaved clover, and mine sol
taire set in the same way. We had q
double wedding, which many still remem-
Der, but by those in the secret it was
always called 1.-THE quatrefoil wedding. ,
-HpJper's BqSar.